E-Commerce Commons^™

Do The Effects Of Ethnocentrism And Cosmopolitanism Depend On Countries-Of-Origins? An Empirical Study Of U.S. Consumers, Thomas Tanner, Jung Kim, Ronda Mariani

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Consumer ethnocentrism and cosmopolitanism have been shown to be instrumental factors for the evaluation and purchase of foreign products. Many prior studies have provided evidence that ethnocentric consumers have lower willingness to buy for products that originated from foreign countries, while cosmopolitan consumers have higher willingness to buy. However, prior research has been conducted in the research setting where only one foreign country is pit against home country. Therefore, it is not clear whether their direct impacts on animosity, product judgement, and willingness to buy will be homogeneous, regardless of countries-of-origin. In other words, do consumers hold the same degree …

From Backlash To Brand Loyalty: How Self-Congruity And Generation Shape Consumer Intentions After A Failed Influencer Campaign, Dexter L. Purnell, Kimberly V. Legocki, Steven R. Barnes, Jessica Chapman

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study examines consumer responses to corporate social advocacy (CSA) surrounding Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. We fielded a cross-sectional survey of U.S. beer drinkers (N = 386) measuring actual and ideal self-congruity, generational cohort, and purchase intention. Using PROCESS Model 4 with bootstrap confidence intervals, we tested whether self-congruity mediates the relationship between generation and purchase intention. Self-congruity strongly predicted purchase intention, and indirect effects of generation via both actual and ideal self-congruity were statistically significant. Conditional (contrast-specific) indirect effects were observed only for Gen X, indicating cohort-specific pathways from CSA to purchase intention through identity …

Omnichannel Retailing: An Exploratory Study Of Limiting The Customer Journey In A Digital-First Context, Terence L. Holmes, Edward C. Brewer, Elizabeth Patterson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

A recent retail trend is the rise of “digital-first” firms, where their merchandise is sold primarily via online efforts. In this exploratory study we describe our investigation of the customer journey for a digital-first seller of cosmetics and personal care products. We collected qualitative and quantitative data from a customer survey and follow-up interviews. Results indicate that personal connections and actual product use are the two most important touchpoints customers consider in first discovering the seller and then building a relationship with the brand. We describe practical applications of the findings and suggest ideas for future research.

Podcast Advertising And Its Role In Higher Education Marketing, Mark D. Cistulli, Jason L. Snyder

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Podcast advertising has become an important component in marketing campaigns for organizations to reach their target audiences. With the explosion of popularity of podcasts, so too does the opportunity for marketers to promote their products and services. In this study, we are focusing on the impact of a graduate program ad on attitudes and behavioral intentions associated with the university in the ad. Participants were exposed to part of a podcast with the ad embedded mid-roll and then responded to a survey about their evaluation of the ad and subsequent intentions to consider attending graduate school at the university advertised. …

Posting About Goals On Social Media: The Unexpected Effect Of Posting Goal-Intention Photos Rather Than Goal-Pursuit Photos On Goal Attainment, Kelly Eunjung Yoon, Cornelia Pechmann

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Can posting photos online help individuals achieve their goals? Past research has generally found that posting about goals on social media increases motivation to achieve those goals. However, little is known about the consequences of posting different types of goal-related content. This research uses real-world Instagram data to test the effects of posting photos about goal pursuit (i.e., goal enactment behaviors) versus goal intention (i.e., goal planning or setting) on goal attainment. Our findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between posting goal-pursuit photos and goal attainment. Conversely, posting goal-intention photos yields no measurable effect. This finding challenges the generalized …

Perceived Risk Mediation Of Website Quality In Online Clothing Shopping In A South African Township, Khathutshelo M. Makhitha, Rodney G. Duffett

The African Journal of Information Systems

South Africa lags behind other economies regarding online shopping adoption. Extant literature has focused on the influence of risk factors on consumers’ intention to shop online. However, few studies have considered the effect that mediating factors can have on relationships between other factors related to online shopping. It is particularly important to determine the mediation effect of perceived risk factors on the relationship between perceived website quality and intentions to shop online. A quantitative survey was used to collect data from 300 online shoppers who purchase clothing online and are located in the Soweto Township in Gauteng, South Africa. Perceived …

E-Commerce Adoption Amid High E-Money Acceptance In Zimbabwe, Samuel Mugijima, Hazel Mubango, Lucia Makwasha, Allan Muzenda, Jeremiah Musariwa, Varaidzo L. Mapepa

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has revolutionised the way organisations are doing business and has become the most critical factor in gaining a competitive edge. Electronic commerce is one such technology that enables organisations to create business relationships, share business information and do business via telecommunications networks. This study aims to unveil the B2B ecologies around low adoption of e-commerce by SMEs amid high e-money acceptance in the CBD of Mutare. The study adopted the interpretivism research philosophy and qualitative research design in order to acquire in-depth of information on low e-commerce uptake mid high e-money usage. Technological Acceptance Model …

The Importance Of Online Reviews In Developing Economies: Investigating The Perspective Of Consumers In North Africa, Kim Fröhnel, Asma Souissi, Rüdiger Zarnekow

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Online reviews play a crucial role in consumers’ online decision-making. While the importance of reviews for consumers in developed economies is well understood, little is known about their importance for consumers in developing economies. Due to different cultural dimensions like uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and individualism, consumers’ review reading and writing behavior in developing economies may differ from that in developed economies. Moreover, e-commerce in Africa will potentially grow in the coming years, raising the interest in understanding the key factors that influence consumers’ online decisions. To fill the research gap, we investigate online reviews’ importance for consumers in North …

The Impact Of “Humorous” Ads Featuring Social Media Influencers On Perceptions Of The Influencer, Brand, And Purchase Intention, Jason L. Snyder, Robert Forbus

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The present study explored the use of humor in social media ads that featured both a product being advertised and a social media influencer (SMI). Using extant literature and the theory of planned behavior as guides, the goal of the study was to explore the role of perceived humorousness on consumer perceptions of the SMI, the ad, the brand, and consumer purchase intentions. The experiment (N = 292) exposed self-identified males living in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 40 to one of two versions of an ad for a men’s grooming product. The ads were run …

Trust Relationships: Tales From The Web, Magdoleen Ierlan

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Trust is an important component of any purchasing situation. In an online setting, trust becomes even more important as buyer and seller are not able to directly interact with one another. Compounding the situation is the fact that the consumer cannot directly experience the product under consideration. Organizations have attempted to address this shortcoming by allowing third parties to offer reviews of the product in question. This paper addresses how consumers process these product reviews.

By rooting this paper in trust and uncertainty reduction theory, a testable model was developed. The model was tested, and in general, more helpful reviews, …

Digital Shopper Insights: Understanding Generational Perspectives On Mobile Commerce, Ronda G. Henderson, Kimberly Mcneil, Roland Leak Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of consumers regarding the use of smartphones to shop and to determine the extent of influence age has on their intentions to use their smartphones to shop. A quantitative, descriptive research design was conducted to examine the perceptions of consumers regarding the use of smartphone-based shopping. The findings revealed that Gen Zers, Millennials, and Gen Xers reported positive perceptions about using their smartphones to shop online. Boomers were consistently more unsure in their responses. The three generation groups (Gen Zers, Millennials, Gen Xers) agreed that using their smartphones to shop …

The Body Positivity Movement: Improving Female College Students Mental Health And Body Appreciation, Emilie Conners, Lucy Matthews, Diane R. Edmondson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Body image concerns among college-aged women continue to be an immense issue across many college campuses. As technology advances, it has become more common for young girls and women to edit their social media photos and focus more on their flaws. Body image has a significant impact on mental and physical health; therefore, it is vital that these concerns are addressed and fought. One movement recently used as a possible way to combat this concern is the body positivity movement. However, more research is needed to understand the impact of this movement on young women. Survey data was collected via …

Generating Clicks: Display Advertising Within Social Media, Ronda Mariani, Thomas Tanner, Loreen Powell

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research study developed a comprehensive social community prototype and tested a variety of display advertising scenarios to determine which scenario motivated social media users to click. Empirical research based upon 503 users of social media led to the development of several independent variables, which were identified in the study as display advertising scenarios. The display advertising scenarios tested in the study were video, animation, engagement, and brand familiarity, as well as the size and location of the display advertising within each social media prototype web page. Data collected identified which display advertisement scenarios motivated a social media user to …

Chatgpt Unveiled: Unleashing Ai Magic In Online Shopping And Digital Marketing, Jianping Huang, Mark J. Sciuchetti Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This research paper explores the use of AI, specifically ChatGPT, in interactive activities within

online shopping and digital marketing. The paper examines the potential of AI-powered chatbots

to enhance customer engagement, personalization, and marketing effectiveness. Through a

literature review, case studies, and user feedback analysis, the research highlights the benefits of

AI chatbots in providing real-time assistance, personalized recommendations, and improved

customer experiences. The paper also addresses ethical and privacy concerns associated with AI

implementation and discusses future research directions. The findings are expected to suggest

that AI-powered chatbots have the potential to revolutionize online shopping and digital

marketing by …

Developing An Integrative Theoretical Framework For Electronic Business Value Optimisation In Botswana, Meduduetso Tsumake-Tsiang, Adheesh Budree

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Organizations are trying to move quickly to adopt remote working policies into their organizations as to attract and retain top talent, reduce office space costs, and increase productivity. As many of these strategies were quickly adopted by South African ICT organizations during the COIVD-19 pandemic, organizations are still somewhat unclear on what their role is with regards to ensuring long term adoption of remote working. Thus, this study explored the role of the organization with regards to a work-from-home strategy. It was found that the organization is responsible for formalizing the chosen strategy, creating supportive policies, and adapting its management …

The Dark Side Of Mobile Money Transfer : A Case Study Of Zimbabwe, Theo Tsokota, Collector Chipfumbu, Melody Maseko

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Mobile money transfer has been widely presented in the literature and in practice as a way to bring the poor, unbanked and backward communities into the mainstream financial system. The main objective of this paper is to provide insights into how mobile money transfer has contributed to the negative effects on Zimbabwe's economy and its citizens. Using integrative literature this study explores the how mobile money transfers have negatively affected the economy of Zimbabwe and its citizens. The findings show that mobile money, if not properly regulated, can promote money laundering, fraud and financial irregularities, which can harm the entire …

An Empirical Study Of The Impact Of Perceived And Experienced Factors On Purchase Intention For Foreign Natural Cosmetics, Raymond Liu, Leon Zurawicki, Jurui Zhang

Atlantic Marketing Journal

There is a growing attention to the “natural” products in personal care and other areas of fashion consumption. Considering the present inflationary economic environment, the study of American consumers’ attitude toward foreign natural cosmetics and important factors determining the purchasing intent of foreign natural cosmetics imported from Asia (Taiwan in this study) with high quality but low price is timely. Based on literature on Purchase Intention and the Theory of Planned Behavior, we proposed a model and a set of hypotheses to uncover the relationship between purchase intent and the determining factors. Our hypotheses are confirmed following a nationwide survey …

Great Expectations: Consumer-Brand Relationships And Their Influence On The Organizational Outcomes Of Brand Transgressions, Sabrina Viscomi

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The business landscape has shifted from simply delivering quality products and services to creating shared value. It does this by fulfilling consumers’ deeper needs and meeting their increasingly high expectations. Brand transgressions inhibit organizations’ ability to meet consumers’ demands, complicating the consumer-brand relationship. As a result, brands are often unprepared to deal with the consequences of transgressions, which can be costly. The purpose of this research is to explore the influence of prior consumer-brand relationships on the organizational outcomes of brand transgressions through the lens of social contract theory. This systematic review synthesizes 39 articles to derive five analytical themes: …

The Membership Business Model: Great For Business But What About Consumers?, Cara Peters, Bradley W. Brooks

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Membership business models are increasingly prevalent, as they appear to be beneficial to companies. However, questions exist about the benefits of the membership business model to consumers. This paper examines consumer perspectives on the membership business model in the context of customer complaints related to Savage X Fenty’s business practices. Data were collected via 692 complaints posted to the Better Business Bureau website and analyzed according to protocols for phenomenology. Eight themes emerged from the data, beginning with membership sign-up and ending with being charged after-the-fact. The themes captured the different frustrations that consumers experienced with Savage X Fenty’s membership …

Happy Campers Or Unhappy Prisoners: How Materialism Punishes Us In Lockdown Times, Banwari Mittal

Atlantic Marketing Journal

COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns created an unprecedented upheaval in consumers’ daily lives and lifestyles. The purpose of this research was to understand the psychological experience of life under lockdowns and the role of individual difference variables in that experience. Using survey data from U.S. consumers, the research identified two opposite feelings, coexisting: happy camper feeling or unhappy prisoner feeling. Younger, lower income, and less educated consumers felt more like prisoners than campers. Ability to maintain life as usual, and positive pre-pandemic life conditions (health, social network, and job satisfaction) led to happy camper feelings. In contrast, pre-pandemic materialism led …

When Privacy Proclivity Meet Covid-19: No Longer Concerns Of Today’S M-Commerce Users?, James L. Thomas, Jianping Coco Huang, Brent J. Cunningham, Jihye Lee, Le Wu

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This is continuous research of our previous publication (Thomas et al., 2021). A new two by two study (Before and After COVID 19) X (China and the US culture) was designed to test the moderated mediation effect of the COVID pandemic on M-commerce user’s privacy proclivity, trust, and M-commerce intention! A new sample was collected from two countries in different time periods (Before and after COVID pandemic) to investigate whether M-commerce users’ concern about privacy proclivity has changed after COVID-19. Built on top of our 2021 publication, this study discovered that privacy proclivity no longer has a significant direct impact …

Small Value-Add Local Food Retailer’S Covid-19 And Post-Covid-19 Strategies, Timothy L. Schauer, Denise Ogden, Doc Ogden

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The pandemic came as a blow to retailers that were already under pressure from online competitors that offered low prices and provided the convenience of shopping from home. The media tended to cover the plight and challenges for larger chain stores and big box retailers. However, the small local food providers and retailers also faced challenges and had to manage without the luxury of having dedicated staff and deep pockets with which to navigate through the pandemic. This paper explores the experiences and strategies used by 20 small local value-added food providers and retailers as they navigated the pandemic. Additionally, …

Organizing Digital Platforms And Customer Needs For Digital Service Innovation, Gamel O. Wiredu

The African Journal of Information Systems

Digital organizations have become highly dependent on digital platforms and customer needs as key resources for digital service innovation. These resources in the competitive environment are making and shaping innovation of digital services because, though external, they remain central to digital organizations’ strategic innovation and competitiveness. Yet, how and why organizing these resources influences digital service innovation is under-explained in the literature. This paper, based on an empirical study and grounded theory methodology, addresses this limitation. It explains that digital service innovation occurs through two complementary types of organizing, namely: foundational knowledge organizing by combining digital platforms and customer needs, …

Brides And Bridal Stores: Online Or Brick-And-Mortar, Libby C. Jones, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper explores the growing global bridal industry and the different trends, traditions, and aspects of specific countries' bridal industries. It outlines western and eastern traditions and how globalization contributes to their spread. A deeper focus is dedicated to the United States' bridal industry and the issues brick-and-mortar bridal boutiques face as more brides have started shopping at online bridal stores. The relationship between brick-and-mortar and online bridal stores is explored based on various propositions about the bridal industry's emerging challenges. These propositions include trust issues in the retail environment, convenience, selection of bridal gowns in different retail formats, incorporating …

Modelling Online Advertising Design Quality Influences On Millennial Consumer Attitudes In South Africa, Rodney G. Duffett Dr, Natassha V. Miller Ms

The African Journal of Information Systems

Millennials’ advanced knowledge and exposure to product experiences, and irrelevant placement of online advertising has led to an increase of online advertising avoidance. However, effective online advertising design may assist in establishing more positive sentiments towards digital forms of marketing communication. The study used the visual rhetoric theory as the theoretical basis to examine millennial consumer attitudes. The main research aims were to propose an online advertising design quality model, and to ascertain the influence of online advertising design quality on millennial consumer attitudes. The study employed a quantitative research design via an empirical online survey. Online advertising design quality …

The Impact Of Mobile Banking Customer Experience On Loyalty Among Millennials In South Africa, Justice Ncube, Salah Kabanda

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Banks need to remain competitive in the ever-changing business environment. Millennials are one of the largest customer segments with a large digital and mobile appetite; as a result, they form a natural target for banks. To increase their customer base, banks need to ensure that their customer experience strategy caters for these young customers in accordance with their expectations. This study explores factors that influence customer experience in mobile banking and how this experience influences customer loyalty to their bank. This study used a mixed-methods strategy and collected data from 344 mobile banking users via an online survey questionnaire and …

Understanding Millennials Regarding Online Versus In-Store Grocery Shopping Preferences, Timothy L. Schauer

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Grocery shopping has changed in significant ways over the last 150 years – all to allow customers to choose their own items (Strasser, 1989). Within the last decade, large U.S. supermarkets, like Kroger, Walmart, and Safeway have rolled out online stores (Perez, 2015). However, in 2017, when the Internet-based giant, Amazon, acquired Whole Foods and developed the Amazon Go concept store, the march toward online-only sales came into question. The purpose of this research is to attempt to understand the preferences associated with Millennials regarding online versus in-store grocery shopping preferences. This paper provides the following contributions. First, it extends …

Keeping The Faith: The Impact Of Religiosity On Controversial Social Justice Advertising, Rebecca Rast, Josh Coleman, Christina S. Simmers

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Religious individuals have traditionally responded negatively to controversial advertising; however, little has been examined in their response to brand activism in the form of social justice issues. Interestingly, brands may find support from more religious individuals when promoting certain social issues. Across three studies using two social networks (Twitter and Instagram), this research demonstrates that individuals who identify as more religious (compared to those who identify as less religious) consistently display higher attitudes, intentions, and perceptions of authenticity for brands supporting social justice issues (precisely racial inequality, or “Black Lives Matter”). These findings are explained through social identity theory, in …

What's In A Name? Public Perceptions Of Multi-Level Marketing, Robert A. Peterson, Jeffrey A. Peterson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper presents the results of a nationwide survey of the American public’s general familiarity with, and perceptions of, multi-level marketing, direct selling, and social selling. Survey respondents were most familiar with direct selling; there was no substantive difference in familiarity with multi-level marketing and social selling. Respondents familiar with the three terms possessed perceptions of them that were significantly more positive than were the perceptions of respondents reporting not being familiar with the terms. Across all terms, male respondents reported being more familiar with, and more positively disposed toward, them than did female respondents. Respondents 55 years of age …

The Impact Of Verified (Unverified) Online Product Consumer Reviews On Consumer Product Attitudes, Kathryn Cort Dr., Roland Leak Dr.

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Customer product reviews are an integral component for companies conducting e-commerce, enabling them to stay connected and engaged with their consumers. However, more important these reviews are being utilized and incorporated into the marketing plans of companies. Companies can use a mixture of verified and unverified purchase badges in their displayed product reviews. This study finds that as customers are provided with this additional information to help form impressions about the products they are reviewing, customers' need for cognition ultimately determines how they utilize the presence or absence of these badges.